Cleft Sentences (It was... / What I need is...)

Level: C1. A cleft sentence takes a plain statement and breaks it into two parts so that one piece stands out. It is a precise way to say this is the important word — to correct a mistake, draw a contrast, or build suspense.

The rule

The word cleft means divided. A cleft sentence divides a single idea — for example Maria called — into two clauses, so you can place a spotlight on one element. The spotlighted element is called the focus. English has two main patterns.

An it-cleft has the shape it + be + focus + relative clause. You start with it, add a form of be, state the focus, then add a clause introduced by who, that or which: It was Maria who called. Here the focus is Maria: the sentence insists it was Maria and nobody else. You can focus almost any part of a sentence — the subject (It was Maria who called), the object (It was the keys that I lost), or a time or place (It was in Rome that we met).

A wh-cleft (also called a pseudo-cleft) usually begins with a clause starting with what, then be, then the focus: What I need is a holiday. The what-clause sets up the topic (what I need) and the focus comes after be (a holiday). You can reverse it for a different emphasis: A holiday is what I need. A common variant uses all: All I want is some peace.

Forms

In an it-cleft the verb be agrees with it, so it is singular — It is, It was — even when the focus is plural: It was the neighbours who complained. In a wh-cleft the verb after the what-clause can agree with the focus that follows: What I want is rest but What I want are answers.

Example sentences

Common mistakes

• ❌ It were the neighbours who complained. → ✅ It was the neighbours who complained. In an it-cleft, be agrees with it, so keep it singular even before a plural focus.
• ❌ It was Maria which called. → ✅ It was Maria who called. Use who (or that) for a person, not which.
• ❌ What I need are a holiday. → ✅ What I need is a holiday. The focus a holiday is singular, so use is.
• ❌ That I need is a holiday. → ✅ What I need is a holiday. A wh-cleft begins with what, not that.
• ❌ What he did was apologised. → ✅ What he did was apologise. After What + subject + did + was, use the base verb (optionally with to): was apologise / was to apologise.
• ❌ It was John whom called. → ✅ It was John who called. When the focus is the subject of the following clause, use who, not whom.

A short conversation

A: So you told the manager about the mistake? B: No — it was Daniel who told her, not me. A: Really? Then what did you do? B: What I did was fix the report before anyone noticed.

Usage notes

• Why clefts exist. They let you control emphasis that English word order alone cannot. Maria called is neutral; It was Maria who called argues a point.
• Correcting and contrasting. It-clefts are the natural way to correct: It wasn’t the price that bothered me, it was the service.
• Delaying the key word. A wh-cleft holds the important information until the end: What really surprised everyone was his calm. This builds a little suspense.
• Spoken English. Clefts are not only formal; they are very common in speech, especially What I mean is… and The thing is….
• Agreement, again. It-cleft: be is singular (It is / It was). Wh-cleft: be may match the following focus (is vs are). These are the two agreement points examiners test.

Compared with…

• Fronting for emphasis moves an element to the front without adding it or what: That film, I really enjoyed or Chocolate she loves. Fronting simply relocates a phrase; a cleft rebuilds the sentence around be. Clefts are often clearer when you want to insist on one word. See Fronting and Emphasis.
• Inversion with negative adverbials emphasises by swapping subject and auxiliary after a fronted negative: Never have I seen such a thing. That is a stronger, more literary device than a cleft, and it is limited to negative and restrictive triggers. See Inversion with Negative Adverbials.
• For the relative clause inside an it-cleft, revisit Defining Relative Clauses; for another emphasis tool, see Emphatic Do.

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Quiz

Recap cheat-sheet

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